Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 10 Read online

  This way, if Princess Meetia gave her guards the slip again and went into the labyrinth, they should be able to find her with the gold badge’s signal.

  “Certainly, sir.”

  The receptionist asked the princess’s full name, age, and intended location during her stay, recording it all in a book.

  It was a pretty far cry from the regular registration, which required only a name.

  “It will take some time to produce the gold badge, so we will have it sent to the viceroy’s guesthouse tomorrow.”

  “Perfect! I thank thee.” The princess nodded gleefully.

  “Your Highness!”

  The stern-faced knight burst into the building fast enough to break down the door.

  “That was fast, no? I expected no less of thee, Ravna…”

  She must have noticed the princess had gone and come to retrieve her.

  “…but thou could have given me a little longer, no?” the princess grumbled.

  “Come with me, please, Your Highness.”

  “Very well. Arisa, Lady Misanaria—we shall meet again, no? And, Sir Satou, I thank thee for thine assistance.”

  Since she’d already thanked me for bringing them to Labyrinth City, this thank-you must have been for paying for the gold badge.

  We saw the princess and company to the door, then returned to the teller.

  “My apologies for the interruption.”

  “Oh, it’s no trouble.”

  Once I apologized, we continued the procedure.

  “Here are your wood badges.”

  She handed us small, thin sheets of wood with a string attached to each.

  They had been branded with today’s date and a three-digit identification number.

  “For the time being, this is your identification as an explorer. Wood badges are for novice explorers; if you enter the labyrinth and return with five or more monster cores per person, you will become official explorers and receive your bronze badges.”

  The identification badges came in five types: wood, bronze, garnet, mithril, and gold.

  Garnet badges were for mid-level explorers who could bring back a certain number of cores consistently each month, while mithril badges were awarded only to top-notch explorers who could defeat an areamaster.

  The gold badge, as had already been explained, was for nobles or anyone else wealthy enough to freely pay the fee.

  “Please be aware that if you cannot bring back a single core within two months, the wood badge will no longer be valid.”

  So they intended to sift out anyone who wanted only an identification badge.

  “So now that we’ve got these badges, does that mean we can go into the labyrinth?”

  “Yes, you can.” The receptionist smiled and nodded. “But make sure you prepare with supplies and equipment first, all right?”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  “Aye-aye?”

  “Of course, sir!”

  “Mm.”

  The younger crew’s excited voices filled the guild hall.

  It certainly didn’t seem like they’d be willing to wait until the next day to go into the labyrinth.

  Since they were so eager, I decided we could take a little peek inside the labyrinth once we found lodging at an inn and a place for our steeds and carriage.

  “This is a nicer room than I expected.”

  At the explorers’ guild’s recommendation, we got rooms in a high-class inn called The Blade of Glory for five days and six nights. They were well reputed for taking excellent care of horses and carriages, as well as for their famous lamb dishes.

  The room cost a steep two gold coins per night, but considering that it was for eight people, maybe that wasn’t so bad.

  There were separate buildings, one only for humans and one that included demi-humans, which was probably to avoid any conflict among them.

  “Call me once you’ve changed into your armor, all right? I’ll go have some tea at the café by the lobby while I wait.”

  With that, I hastened out of the room as the rest of the group started undressing to get changed.

  Maybe I should teach them a little more modesty.

  I could see the stable through the hall window, so I stopped in to check it out.

  True to the explorers’ guild’s high acclaim, our horses and runosaurs looked quite content.

  Because I’d replaced my floating carriage with an identical-looking normal one that I made for occasions like this, there was no fear of my secrets being found out. Thanks to my “Counterfeit” skill, it even had all the same little stains and scratches.

  “I’m terribly sorry, sir. Your cart will be cleaned as soon as our specialist returns.”

  “It’s quite all right. I was just checking on the horses.”

  Once I’d reassured the stable master, I went to the café to drink some tea. It was made with excellent tea leaves, well befitting the high-class inn.

  “Our apologies for keeping you waiting, master.”

  After Liza came down in her armor to fetch me, I returned with her to the room.

  She was equipped with her beloved Cricket Spear as always, but the rest of her equipment was recently made for the labyrinth.

  “The new armor looks great on you.”

  “Th-thank you, sir.”

  Liza turned bright red when I complimented her new look.

  At a glance, it was simple light armor made from white leather with giant beetle carapaces making up the chest plate, shoulder plates, and so on, but it was actually far stronger than even the heavy armor of Shigan knights.

  The exterior was disguised with hard newt leather, but underneath it was the incredibly sturdy hide of the giant monster fish Tobkezerra.

  On top of that, I’d added a thin orichalcum jacket to protect from Holy Sword–class attacks.

  It might have been a little excessive, but I wanted to take every possible measure to keep my friends from being hurt.

  The carapace pieces themselves were only decoration, likely to break if they were ever hit by a gun or cannon blast.

  I’d done a little practice with my “Metalworking” skill to make some simple designs on the exterior.

  “Master, we will enter one at a time, so please appraise each of us, I request.”

  From the sound of things, I was in for a little fashion show.

  Liza was the first, followed by Nana.

  “I shall protect my comrades with my adamantite alloy shield, I vow!”

  Nana struck a knightly pose as she delivered her line in monotone.

  It felt like the kind of scene you’d see when you acquire a new character in a mobile RPG.

  Nana’s equipment was similar to Liza’s, but instead of the jacket, she wore heavy orichalcum chain mail. And her carapace pieces weren’t just for show: They were strengthened with sheets of adamantite alloy underneath.

  Her shield was adamantite, too, but I’d covered it up with the shell of a war mantis.

  Like Liza, she still carried the same weapon, a Magic Sword.

  I’d made a new sheath to match her armor and shield.

  It was hard to tell unless you looked closely, but I’d made the decorations on Nana’s armor set in the design of a flock of baby chicks.

  “Yes, you look very strong and dependable.”

  “Thank you for the appraisal, I declare.”

  It was hard to tell, but I think she was being a little bashful.

  “Ta-daaa?”

  “Ta-da-da-daaa, sir!”

  Tama and Pochi entered the room together, striking their signature poses.

  They were clearly going to stay that way until I complimented them.

  “You both look very cool and cute.”

  “Hee-hee…”

  “Let me at ’em, sir!”

  Tama giggled shyly, and Pochi started shadowboxing on the spot to show that she was ready for a fight.

  Their armors were very similar, but there were a few minor differences.

 
Pochi was equipped with a much smaller version of Nana’s shield, and both the shield and chest plate were decorated with cute paw-print designs.

  Tama had two of the same kind of Magic Sword, and instead of ornamental carapaces, she had frilly magic items, which created a thin, slippery magic defense barrier.

  Sadly, this wasn’t my works but a repurposing of something I’d found on one of the ships we salvaged on the sugar route. Normally it was used to reduce the friction between the ship and the water, increasing the speed.

  “Compliment.”

  Mia appeared next, giving a little twirl.

  She was wearing short pants under her miniskirt to avoid the possibility of any undies-flashing—at least, that was the idea. I thought I caught a glimpse of something striped, but that must have just been the design on the shorts, I was sure.

  “You look as cute as a princess, Mia.”

  Since she’d demanded praise so directly, I offered a clichéd compliment.

  Her new armor would have looked right at home in a magical-girl series: a frilly dress with a hard breastplate over it.

  The exterior of the dress armor was made out of Yuriha fiber, the same material as my robes, while the interior was lined with fabric made from the giant monster fish’s silver hide.

  The silver hide was said to be able to repel even Advanced Light Magic and Holy Swords.

  In a game, normally rearguard characters would wear paper-thin armor, but in this case, Mia’s defenses were just as good as the beastfolk girls’.

  For a weapon, I’d made her a cute staff out of wood from a Mountain-Tree branch, but that was mostly just for show.

  In the labyrinth, I would have her use weapons like Fire Rods and Thunder Rods, which didn’t require a chant; if she needed to use Water or Spirit Magic, I’d made a staff out of the wood of the World Tree.

  The staff made of the glittering emerald-green clearbough from the World Tree was difficult to use. It wouldn’t be much use to Mia or Arisa just yet.

  After Mia, Lulu entered the room.

  “Master, do you really think someone like me should wear such cute clothes?”

  The armor I’d made based around a maid outfit looked like some kind of battle maid cosplay, but it only enhanced Lulu’s overflowing charms.

  “…I’m glad I made that.”

  “Um, master… It’s a little embarrassing if you keep staring at me like that.”

  Oops. I’d gazed at the masterpiece known as Lulu so long that she had to stop me herself.

  “Sorry. It looks really, really good on you.”

  I had never been so painfully aware of my own lacking vocabulary.

  If only I was a poet, I could sing the praises of Lulu’s miraculous maid cosplay…

  “Thank you, sir. Even if you’re just being kind, I’m happy to hear that.”

  “No, I really mean it,” I assured her firmly.

  Lulu’s equipment was made from the same material as Mia’s.

  However, since she’d learned self-defense arts in the elf village, I was hoping she could theoretically protect the rest of the rear guard, so I increased the density of the silver hide fiber to make its defense even better.

  On top of that, I sewed the “Body Strengthening” magic circle and other runes into her clothes.

  I hadn’t done this for the other girls’ equipment because they either already had that skill, would gain other skills and experience at a slower rate, or it might be a waste of their magic.

  For her weapon, I had decided against giving her the Small Magic Cannon I repurposed into a Magic Sniper Rifle, though I’d let her use it on the sugar route. It was too powerful to use in a confined space, and it required bluecoins to keep firing in rapid succession.

  Instead, I tried making a Thunder Rod rifle.

  It was a custom creation of mine: a gun with the same mechanisms as a Thunder Rod that also allowed the user to fine-tune the intensity of the Thunder Bullets.

  “Ta-daa! It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the star of the show, Arisaaaa! No one in the entire galaxy can resist this cuteness…”

  Arisa’s equipment was the same as Mia’s, just in different colors.

  “Yep, can’t resist, totally.”

  With a half-hearted response, I handed out matching cloaks to the entire group.

  The cloaks all had a blue base, with the Pendragon family symbol embroidered on the back and left breast.

  They were made from the same material as the rear guard’s clothes, with protection against cold, heat, sweat, and so on sewn into them.

  I made the outsides the same color so they would be easy to spot, but the inner lining of each one was different to match the wearer’s tastes.

  “Hey, why am I the only one who gets brushed off like garbage?! Don’t make me start pouting!”

  Arisa puffed up her cheeks in protest.

  “Sorry, sorry. Your new look is wonderful, too, Arisa. I wouldn’t be surprised if you start getting scouted for TV.”

  “Hee-hee, you think so? ’Cause I do, too…”

  When I relented and complimented her, Arisa puffed up her chest proudly and started posing some more.

  “Come onnn?”

  “Arisa, put your cloak on quickly, sir.”

  “Mm. Labyrinth.”

  The rest of the younger girls all bombarded Arisa.

  “Oh right, I almost forgot.” Arisa threw on her cloak with dramatic flair.

  “Master, you must equip your sword if you wish to use it, I advise.”

  Sounding like a weapon shop owner from a video game, Nana handed me my fairy sword.

  I normally didn’t carry it on me, since it was heavy and might mess up my clothes. But I figured I could equip it for our big explorer debut, so I accepted the sword from Nana and hung the sheath on my belt.

  “Yep, you look manly, all right!”

  Arisa crossed her arms and nodded sagely.

  On either side of her, Tama and Pochi imitated the move, nodding in unison.

  “All right, let’s head into the labyrinth!”

  Whirling toward the door, Arisa put her fist in the air dramatically.

  “Aye-aye, siiir?”

  “Let’s-a go, sir!”

  “Mm. Labyrinth.”

  The younger group led the charge out of the inn.

  We were taking a chartered carriage from the inn to the west gate leading to the labyrinth.

  True to its name, the streets of Labyrinth City were numerous and complicated, giving a mazelike impression.

  It was probably intended to buy time in case monsters ever escaped from the labyrinth.

  As far as I could tell from my map, aside from the large main street connecting the north and south gates, the entire city was just as complicated.

  However, I appeared to be the only one so interested in the layout of the city. The rest of the group was already thinking about the labyrinth.

  “Eeee, this is my first time going to a real labyrinth! Do you think it’ll be sort of like the spriggan training grounds?”

  The training grounds Arisa was referring to was a facility that was designed to imitate a labyrinth for the exploration-loving spriggans to train in.

  The elf teachers had taken the girls there while I was busy dealing with the jellyfish incident.

  From what I heard, it was designed by Trazayuya, who also made the Cradle.

  “Not at aaaall?”

  “It’s not a playground, sir! It’s a real, pulse-pounding, bloodcurdling battlefield, sir!”

  Tama and Pochi stood up in their seats, looking proud and superior.

  They were rarely like this. It was pretty cute.

  “You two, try to remain calm. At that rate, you’ll get hurt in the labyrinth.”

  “Aye-aaaye…”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Liza coolly deflated the pair’s egos.

  Mia and Lulu were quiet, maybe even nervous. Nana was functioning at her usual capacity, so she was probably fin
e.

  As the group continued chatting, our carriage soon arrived at the plaza in front of the labyrinth.

  The plaza was big enough to line up more than a thousand people, with one white building standing out.

  “That’s the west guild. It’s the liveliest place in all of Celivera,” a middle-aged explorer explained as we passed by, staring at the building as if we were tourists.

  I could see why he would sound so proud. It was an impressive building, almost like a small palace.

  After staring at the west explorers’ guild building, we naturally started watching the people who were coming and going.

  “Wow, look at all that sweet armor!”

  “So fancyyy.”

  “They look like birds, sir.”

  “Kabuki?”

  I wasn’t sure where Mia had learned that term, but overall, I agreed with the girls’ comments.

  Many of the explorers were using armor made out of monster parts, but I wasn’t sure why so many of them had decorated them with feathers and other protuberances. Maybe it was to intimidate monsters?

  “Some of this equipment is rather strange.”

  “Perhaps it is temporary armor, I offer.”

  Liza and Nana seemed taken aback, too.

  The explorers of Labyrinth City wore very unique armor. The younger they were, the more likely it was that they would be dressed in some strange equipment.

  Some had pieces of wood or bone sewn onto their clothes for protection, while others carried spears with an ax head or sharpened bone for the tip. Maybe they didn’t have enough money to buy proper armor.

  Even the monster hunters in Puta had better armor than this, if I remembered correctly.

  The explorers who fought in the tournament in the old capital looked fairly normal, so at least some of the more advanced explorers had a sense of tastefulness.

  “There are lots of different races, too.”

  I nodded at Liza. “I see beastfolk and even scalefolk.”

  Unlike other cities, there were plenty of demi-humans here with their races on full display.

  Those who wore hoods tended to be fairyfolk, mages, or some kind of nobles.

  There were many wounded, too: I saw a fair amount of people whose faces or body parts were covered with dirty bandages.

  “Master, many of these people seem to be wounded.”